Selected Reviews and Interviews

Scene Magazine Review

When Wilhelm started putting together Aria Kalsan Anthology: Mysteries of the Future, he had one goal in mind: to raise awareness about the environment. “A lot of the world changed and a lot of the culture changed after 9-11,” he says. “I wanted to tell a story about our world.”

Fifteen authors, poets, and artists from around the globe contribute to the work, which editor Wilhelm prefers to call an allegory rather than science fiction. “I was looking for people who could give an optimistic message,” he explains. “Even though the setting is very bleak.” Still, there’s hope, Wilhelm says. “Each story is about what it means to do things beyond the call of duty. But it’s not about what I bring to readers, but what they bring to the book.”

Wilhelm and a few of the book’s writers will discuss the work at 2 p.m. Saturday at Joseph-Beth Booksellers, 24519 Cedar Road in Lyndhurst. Admission is free; call 216-691-7000. — Michael Gallucci

Press & Light Review

Wilhelm said the book, “Aria Kalsan Anthology: Mysteries of the Future” is an allegory, which means there are two stories occurring at the same time. The first story is literal and the second is symbolic. “The literal story chronicles life after the Earth becomes uninhabitable,” Wilhelm said. “Only the wealthy and powerful of the world were able to escape to the nearby Moon space station and start civilization again. The stories take the reader from the first days of life in space to spreading across the galaxy.